Potato-cutting machine.



0. HOLT.v

POTATO CUTTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED `u ov. l. 1an.

Patented July 30, 1918.v

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INVENTOR 05cm flair WITNESSES ATTORNEY 0. HOLT. PoTATo cuTrING MACHINElAPPLICATION FILED NOV. l. 1917.

1,274,042, Patented July 3o, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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f i dimi' fait INVENTOR wlmasses Z sv ATTORNEY OSCAR HOLT, 0F ROTHSAY,MINNESOTA.

POTATOPCUTTING MACHINE.

-Specication ofVLettex-s Patent.k 7 Patented July 3Q, 19178,

v Application `filed November 1,1917.` Serial N o.y 199,699.

To all lwhom it may concern.' Y

Be it knownthat I, OSCAR HoLT, aleiti- Zen of the United States,residing at Rothsay, R. F. D. #3, in the county of Wilkin and State ofMinnesota, have invented certain newand useful Improvements inPotato-Cutting Machines, of which .the followinCr is a specification. n.Y

l This invention relates to potato cutting machines, and moreparticularly to a maf chine for cutting seed potatoes.

Onev of the main objects of the invention isto provide a machiney ofsimple construction and operation which may, be Aproduced atcomparatively small cost for cutting potatoes into suitable pieces forseed purposes.

A further object is to provide a machine so constructed as toaccommodate potatoes of different'sizes and provide substantiallyuniform pieces for'seed. A further object is to provide a machine inwhich the means-for cutting the potatoes will act to automaticallydischarge theV potatoes from the machine after being cut. Furtherobjects will appear from the detailed description.

In the drawings: c Figure 1 is a side view of a machine constructedinaccordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a section taken on line 2,-2 ofFig. 1. ,y y y Fig. 3 is a section on line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is asection on line 4 4 of Fig-2. Fig. 5 is an underneath viewof the cuttingblock and bla-des carried thereby. 4 i

The body` ofthe .machine is in the form of a4 supporting/stand havingthe legs` 1, 2,

3, and 4, side beams 5,.and.crossbeams 6.- l A Y longitudinally iextending' yfoot lever 7 is rockably mounted intermediate its end'son across-bar. 8 secured in the legs 2 and 4. The forward end of this leveris kprovided with a central slot 9 which receives the lower end of alink 10 pivotally secured therein by a'pin 11 passed through alinedbores in the link and lever. The upper end portion of this link isslotted longitudinally Y to provide a clamp in which is loosely se-lcured a stirrupV 12 the upper ends of the arms of which are rigidlysecured to the cross bar of a yoke 13 rockably mounted in a U-bracketzllsecured to the upper'ends of the legs 2 and 4. A coil' tension spring 15is secured at one end'to the link 10`.and at the other end to foot1ever.7. By this construction, when 'the inner end ofthe foot leverisdepressed, the outer end of yoke 13 will be raised and, when the .footlever is released, spring 15Y will act to returnthe lever and the linktotheir initial positions. A cutting block 1 6 is pivotally secured 60between the inner endsV of the arms17 of yoke 13. This block is normallydisposed in a substantially vertical plane, the longitudinal center lineVof the Vblock being in the,

. samevertical plane as the center ofY the sloti6`5 or opening 18extending vbetweenthe leaves- 19 and 2O of a receiving hopper, which arerockably mounted in the side beams 5. The Y outer edge lofl-leaf19issecuredto a4 trans-Y...

versel shaft 21 rockable in the side beams, 70 thefouter edge of leaf20-being secured .to asimilar shaft 22. Shaft 21 is provided, at

Y one end, with van integral rearwardly direct- .'gral with shaft 22.The ends of the cranks 23 and 24 ,are bent to form eyes through Vwhichare secured the Vends of a coil ten--A sion spring 25. This tensionspring/acts to normallyk hold thescranks `lin substantially horizontalposition soy 'asto maintain the leaves 19 and 20 of the receiving hopcper in raisedposition. By this construction,l .i

whentheblock 16 is depressed for the cut- 85 ting operation, ,the leaves19 and 2O will be `forced downward and outward as indicated in Fig. l ofthedrawings soas Vto discharge from the.` receiving l hopper thepotatoes LH which have been cut,l simultaneously with '90.

kthe cutting operation.

As will` be noted Amore clear-'lyifromV A 2 of the drawings, the leavesof the receiving lhopper are provided, contiguous with their."

inner vedges and in theirupperfaces, with coperating recesses which forma'substantially (circular.` receiving recess 26, an intervmediateSubstantially elliptical recess`27, ,and a smaller velliptical recess28.V The'.f..-

leaves are furtherprovided with transverse alined slots extending fromthe innerledge of each leaf'which form` slots 29, 30, 31, and

32 extending transversely of the hopper Lfrom the centraliopenin lorslot 18- and at'y right angles thereto. K he central slotv 18 105 andthe Vtransverse slots communicating s' therewith are adapted to receivethe cutting members 18a, 29a, 302.31, and v32a whichare secured in theblock l16 and projectbelowthe rsame to form a cutting grid.

veo

In using this machine, the small potatoes will be placed in the endelliptical recess 2.8, the medium size potatoes in recess 26, and thelarge potatoes in the central recess 27, IVhen the block 16 isdepressed, the potato in recess 2G will be cut into. four sections, thelarge potato in recess 27 into eight sections, and .the small potato inthe recess QS into two sections. By this arrangement, I insure that thepotatoes will be divided into pieces of substantially uniform sizeregardless of the size of the potato being cut. For this reason, thismachine is well adapted for use in connection with potatoes which havenot been sorted or graded and is, therefore, very practical in that itavoids the necessity of grading the potatoes ipreliminary to cuttingthem for seed. After the potatoes have been cut, Vthe block continuesits downward movement and 'engages the upper surfaces of the leaves 19and 20 of the receiving hopper so as to force the same downward andoutward thus discharging the cut potatoes from the hopper which may bereceived in any suitable receptacle suspended beneath the machine. Whenthe potatoes have been thus cut and discharged from the machine, thepressure on vthe foot pedal 7 is removed, and spring 15 acts to returnthe cutting mechanism and the operating means therefor to their initialpositions.

To insure proper operation of the block 16, a guide member 33 is securedto one side beam 5. This guide member projects vertically adjacent oneend lof the block and receives a guide pin 34 secured in the block andslidable between the arms of member 33. 'The'pin 34 and member 33cooperate to maintain the block in vert-ical position during itsmovement toward and away from the receiving hopper. A stop 35 is securedin the member 38 for engagement by the guide pin 34 and serves vtopositively limit the upward lmovement of the block.

To permit adjustment of the cutting mechanism, the yoke 13 is providedin each arm 17 with a series of ,spaced apertures for lreceiving thepivot rod 3.6, and link 10 is `provided with a series of spacedapertures for receiving the -pin 11. By this means, the cuttingmechanism may be adjusted'so as to insure accuracy of operationthereof.-

It will be evident that there may be slight changes in the constructionand arrangement of the different parts of my invention without departingfrom the field and scopeV of the same, and I intend to include all suchvariations, as fall within the scope of the appended claims, in thisapplication in which a preferred form only of my invention -isdisclosed.

That I claim is: l

1. In potato cutting machines, a receiving hopper lprovided with aplurality of closure members movable downwardly so as to open thehopper, means for normally holding said members in raised position, anda cutting device movable toward and away from the hopper so as to cutpotatoes placed in the saine, said cutting device being movable intoengagement with the closure members so as to 4open the hopper anddischarge the cut potatoes therefrom.

2. In potato cutting machines, two rockably mounted leaves having theirinner edges adjacent so as to form a receiving hopper, said leaves beingprovided in their upper faces with recesses for receiving potatoes to becut, means for normally holding the leaves in raised position, a blockmounted .above said leaves and movable toward and away from the same, acutting device carried by the block .and projecting from the lower facethereof for cutting potatoes placed within the recesses of the leaves,and means for actuating said block, the block being movable intoengagement with said leaves so as to depress the same, and discharge thecut potatoes.

3. In potato cutting machines, two leaves rockably mounted at theirouter edges and having their inner edges adjacent, said leaves beingprovided in their upper faces with recesses for receiving potatoes,means for normally holding the leaves in raised position, a blockmounted above said leaves and movable toward and away from the same, anda cutting member carried by said block land positioned to pass betweenthe two leaves when the block is depressed so as to cut potatoes placedin the recesses of the leaves and permit the block to engage said leavesn so as to rock the same downward' and `outward and discharge the cutpotatoes therefrom, said blocks being movable into engagement with theleaves so' as to depress the same. n

et. In potato cutting machines, two leaves roekably mounted at theirouter edges and lhaving their inner edges disposedpin parallel .spacedrelation, said leaves being provided in their upper faces with recessesof different sizes for receiving potatoes to be cut, the leaves beingfurther provided withy transverse slots extending from the inner edgesthereof across the recesses, the number of slots for the recessesvarying, means for normally holding the leaves inl substantiallyhorizontal position, a bloglr mounted above said leaves and movabletoward and away fromv the same, Athe center with the transverse slots ofthe leaves, and means for actuating said block.

5. In potato cutting machines, a supporting frame, spaced transverseshafts rockably mounted therein and provided at one end with oppositelydirected cranks, a tension spring secured to the free ends of saidcranks, supporting leaves secured at their outer edge to said shafts andhaving their inner edges disposed in spaced relation, said leaves beingprovided in their upper faces with coperating recesses which formrecesses of different sizes for receiving pota toes to be cut, saidleaves being further provided with transverse slots extending from theinner edges thereof crossing the recesses, a block mounted above theleaves and movable toward and away from the same, a cutting devicecarried by Vsaid block and projecting beyond the lower face thereofconsisting of longitudinally and transversely disposed cutting elementsso arranged as to be operated through the space between the leaves andthe transverse slots in the leaves, and means for actuating said block.

6. In potato cutting machines, a hopper provided with a plurality ofclosure members movable into .position to open the hopper and dischargecut potatoes therefrom, said closure members being provided in theirupper faces with recesses of different sizes for receiving potatoes tobe cut so as to supe port the potatoes placed therein in position overthe spaces between the two said mem bers, and a cutting knife movabletoward and away from the said closure members and operative between thesame Yso as to cut potatoes placed therein when the knife is depressed.Y

In testimony whereof I aiix my vsignature in presence of two Witnesses.l

Y OSCAR HOLT.

Witnesses:

MELVIN HAMON, A. N. GLASGOW.

Copies of this patent muy be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. G.

